Strange and Beautiful
by fembuck
Summary: A look at what life might be like for Alice and Claire and the others onboard the Arcadia if they had been able to sail the ship to Alaska. Follows "Pull My Heart".  Alice/Claire, femslash
1. Morning

**Title: **Strange and Beautiful

**Author:** Janine

**Fandom:** Resident Evil

**Pairing:** Alice/Claire

**Rating:** R (overall rating)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

**Summary:** A look at what life might be like for Alice and Claire and the others onboard the Arcadia if they had been able to sail the ship to Alaska.

**Note:** The story uses the same timeline as _Pull My Heart_. This is really only relevant during the parts of the story that reference how Alice and Claire first got together, so it is not necessary to have read _Pull My Heart_ in order to follow this story.

xxx

Alice closed her eyes against the sudden rush of cold air that flowed over her skin as she pushed the back door of the cabin open. A fleece blanket was draped loosely over her shoulders and Alice reached for the edges and pulled the blanket more tightly around her to help ward off the cold, then she stepped outside onto the deck. A light dusting of snow covered the wooden planks beneath her feet and Alice smiled, allowing her eyes to roam over the snow capped trees that lined the back yard.

Snow fluttered lightly around Alice as she stood on the deck and she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, taking in a lungful of crisp, clean air. They had settled on Kodiak Island four months before, but she was still awed by the tranquility that surrounded her. For years on end she had never thought that she would see beauty or feel peace again, and the contentment she now felt sometimes threatened to overwhelm her. Life on the Island, especially now that it was caught in winter's icy grip, wasn't easy, but it was life, it was living as opposed to merely surviving, and it was sort of magnificent.

"It is far too cold out for you to look so happy."

Alice's smile grew as Claire's sleep rough voice drew her from her thoughts and she turned from the perfection of nature to lay her eyes on perfection made flesh.

"You could come out here and warm me up," Alice responded playfully, drawing the blanket from around her and then holding her arms out invitingly to Claire.

Claire tilted her head to the side observing Alice for a moment in her jeans, fur-lined boots, and heavy sweater, and then she dropped her head to take in her sock-clad feet, thin draw string pants and t-shirt. She looked back over at Alice, held her eyes for a second, and then without a word she turned around and headed back into the warmth of the cabin leaving Alice to the frigid wonders of nature.

Alice's lips twitched with amusement as she watched Claire walk away from her, and then before the redhead disappeared from her view entirely she moved towards the sliding doors and stepped back into the cabin. The snow capped tree around the cabin provided a breathtaking view, but there was nothing in the world more awe inspiring than Claire.

"Is that tea you're making?" Alice asked, drawing the fleece blanket from around her shoulders before tossing it over a nearby chair.

"It's what passes for tea these days," Claire replied turning from the old wood burning stove to face Alice, a smile touching her lips as she watched the brunette draw her right hand quickly through her hair, brushing away the flecks of snow that had fallen onto her dark locks while she was out on the deck. "I thought you might need some warming up."

"The waters not boiling yet," Alice noted glancing over at the stove. "Why don't you keep me warm while we wait?" she continued smiling invitingly over at the redhead.

"That's cute," Claire drawled smirking at Alice, "But you better pick that blanket back up because you're not getting anywhere near me until you've warmed up."

"You're mean," Alice replied mildly as she moved over to the stove and held her hands over it, hoping to warm them up enough that Claire would allow her to put them on her body.

"You'll never learn unless I'm firm with you," Claire replied, ignoring the suggestive way Alice's lips curved up.

"You're right," Alice agreed drawing her hands from over the stove. "I'm incorrigible. Come over here and teach me a lesson," she continued holding her hands out towards Claire, encouraging the redhead to come closer to her. "I promise, I'm toasty to the touch now," she added wiggling her fingers.

"You better be," Claire grumbled though a smile played across her lips as she took a step towards Alice, unable to deny the lure of her lover's arms.

Knowing that she had won, Alice moved towards Claire, meeting the redhead halfway to her, and immediately enveloped the other woman in her arms, nuzzling her face into Claire's neck as she laid soft, sweet kisses along the deliciously warm flesh she found there.

"You're still cold," Claire murmured as she lifted her hand to run her fingers lazily through dark hair that now fell to Alice's shoulders.

"You don't care," Alice breathed out against Claire's jaw as she kissed her way towards the redhead's mouth.

"I really don't," Claire agreed contentedly, tilting her head up the slightest bit to meet Alice's lips.

The first contact between them was impossibly soft, just the slightest brushing of lips against lips as Alice's hand found purchase on Claire's hips and Claire's right hand wound its way behind Alice's neck, both supporting the brunette and holding her in place. Soon the light contact wasn't enough for either of them however, and when Alice's tongue peaked out from between her lips to play against Claire's, the redhead opened her mouth to her lover, and Alice slipped inside, deepening the kiss with a long, low moan that warmed Claire more than any fire could ever hope to.

"Oh, come on you guys! You have a room now. Use it!" K-Mart complained, flinging her head back in exasperation before she spun around so that her back was facing them as she hovered in the doorway of the kitchen. "Chris!" she called out as Alice reluctantly drew away from Claire's lips. "Alice is molesting your sister again."

A deep chuckle filtered into the kitchen from the sitting room beyond, and then a few seconds later Chris's bulky form appeared in the doorway behind K-Mart.

"You should know by now that after raindrops on roses, Kukri knives and shotguns, taking liberties with my sister is Alice's favourite thing," Chris declared smiling as he reached out to ruffle K-Mart's hair affectionately, only to have her gruffly bat his hand away. "Is that tea?" Chris asked pushing past K-Mart into the kitchen, his eyes on the dark kettle sitting on the stove. "I got a fire started in the other room, but it's still freezing in there. I wouldn't mind something warm."

"Right now it's lukewarm water, but it'll be something that very closely resembles tea soon," Claire replied, watching with amusement as Chris reached out and shoved Alice on the shoulder, and then as Alice reached out and shoved him back before they grinned at each other.

"You're lucky they're bros," K-Mart whispered as she moved past Claire to hop up onto the kitchen counter.

Claire watched her progress, still smiling faintly and then inclined her head, acknowledging the truthfulness of K-Mart's statement once the girl was settled on the counter. Chris had taken great pleasure in being a threatening, hostile jerk to every boyfriend she'd had ever had. As much as she loved and adored her brother, he had been a perfect asshole anytime he had met someone she was dating. Alice's dedication to her safety from the moment Chris had encountered her, coupled with Alice's impressive ability to slaughter infected who were hell bent on eating their brains, had allowed Alice to bypass Chris's trial-by-fire initiation phase and skip straight to 'bro' status, however.

"Are you up for some fishing after breakfast?" Chris asked directing his gaze towards Alice for a second before he focused on opening cabinet doors until he found the one with where they kept the dried meat.

"That depends, are you up to actually catching some this time?" Alice asked, smiling at Chris winsomely when he turned his head in her direction and levelled her with an unimpressed glare.

"The bears had been down at the water earlier. The fish were spooked," Chris grumbled darkly holding Alice's eyes challengingly.

"Play nice," Claire murmured under her breath to Alice as she brushed by the brunette on her way to the stove to remove the kettle. The last time they had gone fishing, Alice had come back with a string lined with fish, while Chris had only managed to snag two. Chris had then processed to fall into a sulk for the rest of the day, and Claire had no desire to suffer through that again. "Or you'll be playing by yourself tonight," Claire added softly in Alice's ear as she reached up to open the cabinet door beside the brunette's head to pull out four mugs.

"I was out on the deck earlier. The forest was pretty still. The fish should be lulled into a false sense of security when we get down there," Alice responded directing her attention towards Chris. She knew for a fact that Claire would withhold if she upset her enough, and on cold winter nights like the ones they had been dealing with she didn't want to end up anywhere but wrapped around Claire's warm, nude body at night.

"Can I come too?" K-Mart asked, reaching out her hand to make a 'grabby grabby' motion at Chris who was holding a container full of jerky.

"You have lessons this morning," Claire reminded K-Mart as she began to pour steaming hot water into the mugs she had lined up on the counter.

"But," K-Mart started to complain, really not seeing the point in reading _Lord of the Flies_, and _The Great Gatsby_ and _Hamlet_ when the majority of the planet was overrun with zombies and humanity had been reduced to an endangered species.

Claire turned her head in K-Mart's direction and caught the blonde's eyes warningly, which immediately quieted the girl down. Claire knew that K-Mart didn't really see the point in school when the world was the way it was, but Claire felt that it was important that K-Mart and the other teenagers from the Arcadia kept their minds sharp and agile. And though she hadn't admitted to this reason out loud, Claire also thought that it was also important that the young ones be exposed to the beauty and wonder that humanity was capable of, in the face of all of the horror they had seen mankind create.

"Don't worry, K," Alice piped up, slapping a friendly hand on K-Mart's thigh. "The way Chris fishes we'll still be out there long after your lessons are over. You can meet up with us after."

K-Mart smirked at that and Alice met her grin with one of her own, sharing an easy moment of camaraderie with the blonde, at least until her eyes tracked to the side and met Claire's unenthusiastic gaze that was.

"I was just ..." Alice began haltingly, but Claire's expression did not change, in fact the redhead did not even blink, and Alice's words trailed off. In the face of Claire's glare, Alice's eyes tracked over to K-Mart for some support, but the girl was suddenly fascinated by the non-existent lint on her pants. Foolishly, Alice then looked over at Chris, and found him watching her with an amused half-grin on his lips. Recognizing defeat when she saw it, Alice then sighed softly and reached out for one of the mugs Claire had just filled.

"Tea?" she offered holding one out to Chris chummily.

"I'd love some," Chris responded in similarly bright tone of voice as he extended a hand towards Alice from his spot behind Claire, mouthing 'w_hipped_ _'_to the brunette as he reached for the tea.

Alice's eyes narrowed as Chris took the mug from her hand and Chris grinned.

"Meet you out front, 0:900," the elder Redfield said, lifting the mug triumphantly in Alice's direction before he plucked a few more dried pieces of meat from the container on the counter and then headed for the door.

K-Mart reached out and placed a supportive hand on Alice's shoulder as Chris left the room. Having been in front of Claire along with Alice she had seen what Chris had mouthed to Alice before his departure.

"Sometimes the truth hurts," the blonde said squeezing Alice's shoulder playfully before she grinned at the brunette and then hopped down off of the counter. "I'm going to get dressed," K-Mart continued directing her attention towards Claire as Alice glowered at her.

Claire nodded.

"When you're done, go and round up the others. We've got to get an early start today because Luther's taking a group out into the woods for some wood-chopping. If anyone hasn't eaten yet let them know there'll be some soup here for breakfast."

"Will do," K-Mart replied saluting, and then she too made her way out of the kitchen.

"Aw, don't pout," Claire cooed when K-Mart's footsteps had faded, closing the small distance that existed between her and Alice so that she could take her lover's face into her hands. She knew that she had missed part of the exchange between Chris and Alice and whatever had gotten by her had clearly offended Alice.

"I'm not pouting, I'm brooding," Alice grumbled, though her eyes lit up as she lifted her gaze to meet Claire's.

"Mm," Claire hummed, stroking Alice's cheek affectionately with her thumb. "I can see that now," she breathed out, her eyes focused on Alice's tantalizingly full lips. "And you do it so well," she murmured playfully before leaning forward to bring their lips together in a sweet kiss.

"So, you're going to tease me now too," Alice whispered against Claire's lips, arching forward a second after she spoke to place a gentle kiss across the redhead's lips.

"I thought you liked it when I teased you," Claire exhaled roughly as she dropped her hand and brought it up between Alice's legs so that she was cupping the brunette through the layers of her clothes.

"If you keep that up, Chris isn't going to have anyone to go fishing with and the kiddies aren't going to have any soup for breakfast, because I'm going to drag you upstairs and have my wicked way with you," Alice rasped unsteadily, her voice hitching slightly as arousal thundered through her.

Claire smiled as she leaned in to press her lips against Alice's neck, and withdrew her hand from between her lover's legs, drawing a resigned sigh from the brunette.

"I was hoping that you'd go with 'drag you upstairs' option," Alice murmured roughly, smiling a little when she felt Claire's laughter vibrate against her skin where the redhead's lips were still gently exploring her flesh.

"You know they'd come banging on the door," Claire breathed out, finally pulling away from Alice's skin so that she could see the brunette's face. "And we can't have that," she continued, lifting her hand to cradle Alice's jaw so that she could draw her thumb across the brunette's plump bottom lip, "When you get my clothes off, I don't want anything distracting me from you having your wicked way with me."

A rough exhalation of air escaped from Alice at Claire's words and she tilted her head longingly into the redhead's warm palm.

"It's a good thing I'm going outside in a few minutes," Alice rasped as she shifted uncomfortably due the pressure that had built up between her legs. "I'm going to need all the cold air in Alaska to calm down."

"Poor baby," Claire sighed, leaning forward to kiss Alice's lips chastely one last time before she stepped away from the brunette, knowing that she really couldn't tease Alice any longer. "Drink your tea first," Claire continued smiling sweetly, a mug in her outstretched hand as Alice's eyes narrowed at her. "And eat something before you go," she added ignoring Alice's look. "Low blood sugar makes you grumpy, then you'll pick on Chris, and I cannot deal with one of his sulks today."

That drew a smile from Alice and after taking the mug from Claire's hand, Alice reached for the jerky Chris had abandoned earlier and snagged a piece from it, holding it up to Claire in a toast.

"Oh, get out of here," Claire replied, smiling good naturedly despite her words.

"Yes ma'am," Alice declared, and with one last winsome smile she popped the end of the jerky into her mouth and headed out of the kitchen to get ready to meet Chris.

To be continued ...


	2. Evening

**Title: **Strange and Beautiful

**Author:** Janine

**Fandom:** Resident Evil

**Pairing:** Alice/Claire

**Rating:** R (overall rating)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

**Summary:** A look at what life might be like for Alice and Claire and the others onboard the Arcadia if they had been able to sail the ship to Alaska.

**Note:** The story uses the same timeline as _Pull My Heart_. This is really only relevant during the parts of the story that reference how Alice and Claire first got together, so it is not necessary to have read _Pull My Heart_ in order to follow this story.

xxx

**PART II**

Flames flickered attractively in the fireplace warming the occupants in the living room of the cabin. Claire was seated on the large couch, one arm lazily flung over the back of it while the other gently combed through a full head of curly blonde hair. Young Kevin from her former convoy was sleeping quite peacefully with his head in her lap as a few of the other children from the convoy and the Arcadia sat on the rug in front of the fire, their eyes trained raptly on Alice who was lying in a fetal position on the floor.

A hand touched Claire's shoulder, and as Alice began to wriggle on the floor, Claire turned her eyes away from her lover and looked up at her brother, a gentle smile touching her lips as Chris smiled down at her.

"Is it_ Terror at KLKB_, again?" Chris asked sliding over the arm of the couch into the small space between Claire and the end of the couch, half sitting on top of his sister until she sighed irritably and carefully shifted herself and young Kevin to the side to make room for Chris.

"Yeah," Claire confirmed, letting her eyes track back over to Alice who was now on her knees, gesturing animatedly with her hands. "They love that one," she continued shaking her head, even though a little smile was on her lips.

The survivors they had picked up onboard the Arcadia had never seen Alice when she still had her powers, but the remnants of her convoy well remembered what Alice was capable of. The children had watched her from afar for those first few weeks aboard the Arcadia, just as they had watched her surreptitiously through windows while they were still traveling through the desert, but Alice's friendly smiles and, Claire suspected, K-Mart's encouragement, eventually led to a few of the braver children approaching Alice.

When those children lived to tell the tale, the rest of them became convinced that Alice was safe, and one night in the mess hall Alice had found herself surrounded by tiny little people bombarding her with questions about her super-powered adventures with zombies. Those questions had led to the first 'Story Time', which emerged as a resounding success and since settling in Alaska, at least one night a week the Redfield Cabin – as their home had come to be known – was host to a swarm of small children and teenagers.

Though, Claire thought glancing down at young Kevin, many of the children were not so small anymore now that they were eating at least two proper meals a day, and were getting a developmentally appropriate amount of uninterrupted sleep.

"It's a good story," Chris noted watching as Alice moved her hands around in circles as she spoke to the group gathered around her of flipping off of the wall in the radio stations basement to escape an infected dog that ended up impaling itself on a wild piece of metal. "I would have liked to see what she was capable of back then."

"She was breathtaking," Claire said softly, closing her eyes briefly as she remembered Alice setting the sky on fire and how majestic she had looked as ash rained down on her. "But she was lonely," she continued, looking back over at Alice who was now smiling as one of the kids spoke to her, everything about her in sharp contrast to how she had been when Claire had first met her. "Wesker was an evil bastard," Claire went on, her voice hard and cold, "but he did one good thing," she finished, her tone and expression gentling as she looked back over at Alice.

Her eyes lingered fondly on the brunette for a moment, tracing her features lovingly, and when she looked back over at Chris, she found him regarding her with amusement.

In response, Claire reached out and hit him lightly in the stomach.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked grumpily as colour rose on her cheeks.

"You are _so_ in love," Chris whispered, laughing lightly as Claire glared at him. "If paper wasn't a non-renewable resource these days, you'd write 'Alice+Claire 4 ever' in a giant heart, surround it with smaller hearts, and border it all with rainbows."

Claire stared at him for a moment after he finished speaking, and then darkly muttered, "I'm not a little girl anymore. And you're a dick," before looking away, though the affectionate smile that touched her lips as she turned away from him took the sting was taken out of her words.

Chris smiled pleasantly, knowing she didn't mean it, and the Redfield siblings were quiet for a while as their eyes turned back to Alice. They listened as Alice described the infected dogs tugging relentlessly on the wire cables she had tied around them until they collapsed the roof the basement and created a ramp up to the main floor of the building. However, as she began to talk about the dogs racing up the ramp they had created, Claire felt eyes on her again and turned to the side to see Chris watching her.

"You're going to give me a complex," Claire muttered.

Chris smirked at that, but didn't respond right away. He simply continued to look at her, and when Claire saw him begin to blink in rapid succession she understood the emotion behind his silence and saved him from having to speak by placing her head on his shoulder. Teasing her about her feelings was easy for Chris, but she knew he would rather have taken on a gang of infected with his bare hands than talk about his own.

"I should have been there for you," Chris whispered so softly that even with her head on his shoulder Claire almost missed it. His large hand lifted so that his thumb could softly trace the edge of one of the scars visible on collarbone, and his jaw clenched. She had five other identical scars on her chest from the device Umbrella had attached to her. With the data pads they had found on-board the Arcadia they had been able to remove the other survivors devices safely, but Alice had been forced to rip hers off and the claws that had been inside of her had left visible marks.

"You were doing your job, saving lives," Claire replied gently, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his thigh.

Chris was a good big brother. He had always been protective of her, and she knew that it upset him greatly that he hadn't been able to spare her from the horrors of life after the outbreak.

"Besides, you were with me in a way," Claire continued smiling gently. "All of that time I spent with you in the garage, fiddling around with those old junk heaps Dad used to bring home, is what kept our rust buckets going for so long. And those hunting trips we went on when you came home from school. Learning how stalk quietly, how to use a rifle, how skin and clean an animal, those skills kept us fed for years."

When the animals began feeding on infected flesh and became infected themselves, the convoy had to start relying almost exclusively on canned goods, but when she'd first put the group together they'd always had enough to eat because of what Chris had taught her.

"You were with me every day," Claire told him earnestly.

Chris was quiet for a few moments after she finished speaking, but eventually he released a ragged sigh and lifted his hand to the top of her head and ruffled her hair.

"You've gotten good at pep talks," he drawled as Claire lifted her hand to try and return some order to her hair after Chris's blitz attack.

"I've always been good at pep talks," Claire said once she was certain her hair no longer looked like a family of badgers had been nesting in it. "With a sulky boy like you as a brother, I had to be," she continued smiling as Chris frowned down at her. "Don't give me that look. Do you remember what you were like when Elizabeth broke up with you?"

"No, I've forgotten. It was obviously an unmemorable event and not worth talking about," Chris responded, though he remembered every agonizing detail of the break-up with his High School girlfriend, including how he stayed in his room for days, in the dark, listening to obnoxiously loud music until Claire had finally used their Dad's tool kit to take off his doorknob and enter the room. She had then proceeded to fling open the curtains, turn down his music, and jab him repeatedly in his soft tissues until he took his blanket from over his head. Once she had his attention, Claire then spent the next half an hour listing all of Elizabeth's flaws, and repeating every complaint Chris had ever made about her, until he actually became convinced that the break up was a good thing and agreed to leave his room.

Claire's lips curved in the wake of her brother's words and her lips parted to tease him about his completely unconvincing response, however, before she could speak Luther emerged from the kitchen calling out "Cider, anyone?" and Claire groaned and slumped against the back of the couch.

"You're being unfair," Chris chided gently. Luther had kept him locked up in a box for months and he'd found a way to forgive the guy, so it seemed rather unreasonable to him that Claire was holding a grudge because Luther had a penchant for staring at Alice's ass.

"I'm not being unfair," Claire replied stubbornly.

"He's never tried anything with her," Chris pointed out, which had surprised him until he learned that Luther had been aware of the romantic relationship between his sister and Alice weeks before anyone else due to him walking in on them at an inopportune moment.

"That's because he's seen me handle a gun," Claire muttered darkly.

"Come on, Claire. Alice is attractive, you can't hold a guy looking at her against him," Chris continued earning a withering glare from his sister.

"Oh yes I can," Claire declared turning away from Chris huffily. "And for the record, the only thing the 'I was just looking' excuse accomplishes is enraging any female within earshot. It doesn't actually get you out of trouble."

"Okay. Duly noted," Chris responded holding up his hands, hoping to stave off any further lectures from his little sister.

Claire's gaze calmed then and Chris lowered his hands as little feet began to scamper towards Luther in search of cider. Looking down at her lap, Claire saw that young Kevin was still asleep and gently began to shake his shoulder knowing that he would want some cider too, and that he'd be quite cross with her if she let him miss out.

"How does he do that?" Alice asked shuffling over to the couch now that her audience had abandoned her.

"It's got to be a natural talent," Claire responded, resisting the urge to comb her fingers through Alice's hair. The brunette was seated on the floor against the front of the couch with her arm pressed up against Claire's leg, in the perfect position for Claire to easily run her fingers through her silky hair, but she knew that if she yielded to the urge Chris would tease Alice. "They all learned how to sleep through a certain amount of disturbance, but Kevin has a gift."

It took a few more shakes but eventually young Kevin lifted his shaggy head, blinking slowly at Claire in confusion until she said, "There's cider in the kitchen." At that point his eyes widened and he scampered off of the couch, nearly kicking Alice in the head in his haste to join the other children.

"Well, I suppose I'll be a gentleman," Chris declared standing up. Alice and Claire were gazing dreamily at each other again, and he was sure that they would be wearing each other's lips soon, which he had no desire to witness. "Would you ladies like some cider?"

"We'd love some," Claire responded, smiling fondly at him, knowing that he was being considerate and giving them an opportunity to be alone for a few minutes before everyone came crashing back into the living room.

Chris nodded and then wandered off, and Alice slipped up onto the couch beside Claire and immediately leaned forward. They shared a brief kiss, and then Claire sighed tiredly and rested her head upon Alice's shoulder, snuggling closer to the brunette when Alice wrapped her arms around her.

"You sound tired," Alice whispered, nuzzling her nose in Claire's soft strawberry blonde hair as she drew her hand soothingly up and down Claire's arm.

"I am," Claire breathed out snuggling further into Alice's arms. "But don't worry, I'm not _that_ tired," she continued, smiling before she placed a kiss against Alice's neck.

"Mm, well I'll take care of that," Alice responded, her raspy voice full of promise that made Claire wish she couldn't already hear feet beginning to clomp their way back into the living room.

"I'm going to hold you to that," Claire whispered, teasing her fingers up Alice's thigh before returning it to a respectable position.

A few seconds later the smaller kids who had been served first made their way loudly back into the living room. The older kids soon followed, and then Chris emerged with a precarious hold on three mugs while Luther brought up the rear, whistling as he cradled his mug in both hands. Claire's eyebrows scrunched together in distaste as she regarded him, and Alice and Chris shared an amused look before Alice relieved him of two of the mugs and shifted a little closer to Claire to make room for him on the couch.

With Story Time concluded, the older kids made their way to a corner of the room to talk, while the younger ones rolled about on the bear skin rug, drinking their cider, shoving each other and talking animatedly about things that Claire, Chris, Alice and Luther didn't even bother trying to follow. Instead, the adults occupied themselves discussing how the firewood chopping had gone, organizing a hunting party for later in the week, and confirming the need to teach the older children how to hunt with bows and arrows since their supply of ammunition was steadily declining.

Soon after the cider was finished the guardians of the smaller children began to arrive to collect them, and once the young ones were gone the teenagers began to pack up and call it a night as well, and within twenty minutes of the first guardians arriving, the living room – which had been buzzing with noise for hours – finally fell silent.

"So tired," K-Mart complained piteously, forcing a spot for herself on the couch between Chris and the arm of the couch not occupied by Claire. "Carry me upstairs?" she asked turning to look at Chris, holding her arms out to him like a three year old ready for a nap.

"Carry yourself upstairs," Chris grumbled in response. "I'm not a cable-car."

"But I'm tired," K-Mart whined, her voice hitting a piercing note that only teenage girls were capable of.

"So am I," Chris responded, completely unmoved by her belly-aching. "I've been working hard all day."

"Yeah right you have," K-Mart declared looking him straight in the eye. "After you got back from fishing with Alice, I _saw_ you go over to ..."

"I'll carry you upstairs," Chris interjected before K-Mart could continue. "But we have to go now. If you say another word I'll be too exhausted to enable your laziness."

"Hold on, wait a minute," Claire said holding out her hand as if that would stop them from moving. "Where did you see him go?" she asked, directing her question to K-Mart, who had just risen to her feet.

K-Mart stared at the imposing staircase for a moment, and then turned to take in Chris's warning expression, before she finally looked over at Claire's curious face. She deliberated for a moment, and then shrugged helplessly at Claire and murmured, "Sorry, I really don't want to walk."

Chris threw his hands up to indicate that there was nothing he could do about it, though there was a decidedly pleased look in his eyes, and then he bent down so that K-Mart could climb onto his back. K-Mart gladly scrambled onto him, and within seconds they were out of sight.

"Well, that's my cue to go," Luther declared, pushing himself up out of the armchair he had been lounging in.

He actually wouldn't have minded staying to talk a little bit longer, but his interest in Alice before he had stumbled upon Alice and Claire in the women's change room of the Citadel and realized that Alice was not on the market, had put him on Claire's shit-list and the redhead still wasn't quite ready to let bygones be bygones – not that he could really blame her, considering the fine specimen of woman she had landed.

"Goodnight ladies," he continued, bowing charmingly before making his way to the door.

They said their goodnights to him as he pulled on his jacket and boots, and then with a final salute, Luther slipped out of the cabin leaving Alice and Claire on their own.

"So, do you want me to carry _you_ upstairs?" Alice asked playfully when they were alone once more.

"That would be nice, but it'll take too long," Claire responded, pointedly dropping her eyes to stare at Alice's mouth.

They had discovered that Alice was still quite capable of carrying her, though she wasn't able to do it with the ease she had while she still had her powers. On occasion it was quite charming when Alice carried her across the threshold into their bedroom, but they had a standing date that Claire was eager to get on with as quickly as possible.

"You're right, we should both walk. Quickly," Alice added before standing up and holding her hand out to Claire who grasped it with a smile and allowed Alice to help her to her feet. "Help me put out the fire?" Alice asked as she moved over to the fireplace to extinguish the flames.

"I'd rather help you start one," Claire breathed out as she came to stop beside the brunette, placing her hand on Alice's ass and then squeezing the firm globe suggestively.

Alice's jaw clenched and she breathed in sharply through her nose before murmuring, "You already have," thickly, as a familiar ache began to pound between her legs.

Bending over, Alice quickly put out the fire, and then she reached for Claire's hand, drawing an airy laugh from the redhead as she dragged her towards the stairs, just as she had promised that morning.

To be continued ...

**Comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated! **


	3. Night

**Title: **Strange and Beautiful

**Author:** Janine

**Fandom:** Resident Evil

**Pairing:** Alice/Claire

**Rating:** R (overall rating)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own them.

**Summary:** A look at what life might be like for Alice and Claire and the others onboard the Arcadia if they had been able to sail the ship to Alaska.

**Note:** The story uses the same timeline as _Pull My Heart_. This is really only relevant during the parts of the story that reference how Alice and Claire first got together, so it is not necessary to have read _Pull My Heart_ in order to follow this story.

xxx

**PART III**

Claire's eyes remained fastened shut as aftershocks rocked her, the feel of Alice's lips on her stomach making her hips instinctively arch into her lover's body. Distantly, Claire was aware of Alice smiling against her abdomen as she continued to kiss her way up it, but Claire was too distracted by the feel of Alice's hand returning between her legs to gently stroke her to register much beyond the blissful feelings coursing through her body.

When Alice reached Claire's breasts she turned her face to the side and carefully took the redhead's left nipple between her lips. She alternated between swirling her tongue around the turgid tip and sucking on it gently, nursing the nipple, as she continued to move her fingers against Claire, drawing out the redhead's orgasm as long as she could. Claire's skin was warm, her breath ragged, and the scent of her arousal blanketed the air around them. Claire's pulsed and clenched deliciously against her fingers, and Alice pulled Claire's body more firmly against her own, wanting to hold onto the perfect moment for as long as possible.

"Baby," Claire breathed out as the last remnants of her orgasm faded and her body relaxed against the mattress. "Come up here," she continued softly, still a little breathless as she combed her fingers through Alice's hair.

Alice was loathe to leave Claire's breast however, and she stayed there, suckling for a while longer, though she removed her hand from between Claire's legs, knowing that Claire was done for the night –even though Alice herself wouldn't have minded slipping beneath the comforter again. Eventually however, she managed to tear her lips away from Claire's breast and she slid up the redhead's body until they were nose to nose.

Claire grinned at her widely when she was finally able to see Alice's face, and Alice happily smiled back at her before she leaned down and brought their lips together, allowing Claire to taste herself on her. They then kissed slowly and deeply for a long while, luxuriating in each other and revelling in the press of their bodies against each other.

"I'm fine," Alice sighed into Claire's mouth, capturing her lover's hand as it began to trail up her leg, seeking the warm, wet place at the apex of her thighs. "As it is, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to walk properly tomorrow," she continued, smiling before burying her face in Claire's neck.

As she had promised in the morning, when they had arrived in their bedroom, Alice did have her wicked way with Claire, but the redhead was not content letting Alice run the show, and after Alice had brought her to a toe curling climax, Claire had eagerly turned the tables. She had flipped Alice rather unceremoniously onto her back, and then grabbed her thighs, spreading them until she was able to situate herself between them, and Claire then carefully positioned herself until her center was pressed against Alice's.

The first contact of Claire against her had drawn a sharp inhalation of breath from Alice, which had in turn made Claire smile, and then the redhead had braced her hands on Alice's knee and begun to rock against her, gradually increasing the force of her movements until she was vigorously thrusting and grinding against Alice. When Alice came, she hadn't been able to stop herself from vocalizing her pleasure and Claire's hand had quickly moved to cover her mouth, the press of Claire's hand against her lips intensifying the force of her orgasm, making her buck wildly into Claire's still gyrating hips.

"Mm," Claire sighed, running her hand along Alice's back as the brunette nuzzled against her. "Beds are nice," she concluded smiling.

The times they had been together in the desert had been pleasurable, and more importantly had nourished them emotionally in a way that they had both desperately needed, though they never would have articulated it. But being able to spread out naked on a mattress with Alice, instead of hurriedly finding ways to get her hands under Alice's clothes while cramped in the back of a hatchback had been a revelation.

The first time they had made love on board the Arcadia, Claire had spent an eternity just touching Alice's skin, leisurely trailing her fingers and lips over flesh she had never had a chance to clearly see or explore before. And the queen size bed they now occupied just opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities to them, possibilities they had spent the past four months discovering and rediscovering.

"Horny girlfriends are nice, too," Alice drawled playfully, nipping at Claire's freckled shoulder.

"I'll agree with you on that," Claire sighed, drawing a chuckle from the brunette.

She scrapped her nails indolently over the globes of Alice's ass after she spoke, and hummed contently when Alice moaned softly and arched into the touch. She had ridden Alice well, but the night had still belonged to the brunette, who had been quite insatiable.

Forcing herself to leave the warm nook of Claire's neck for a moment, Alice leaned back and twisted around until she was able to find the edge of the comforter and she yanked it up before setting back down and then drawing her arm around Claire when the redhead turned onto her side.

Alice breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of Claire's hair and their lovemaking, and as a feeling of peace washed over her she pressed a little closer to Claire and closed her eyes. The feelings of happiness that she experienced in quiet moments were still strange to her, though as the chaos of their lives calmed and the quiet moments increased, they became less jarring to her.

When the world ended, even though she had kept on breathing and kept on moving, in many ways it had felt to Alice as if her life had ended as well. Back then it she didn't force herself not to imagine a better life, she just honestly could not conceive of one. Finding the log book in that gas station outside of Salt Lake City had been the first time in years that she had she felt hope for something better blossom in her chest. Then, two days later, as she lay with Claire in the back of her yellow hatchback, her clothes dishevelled and her body relaxed as she luxuriated in the feel of another human body against hers, Alice had been able to believe, for the first time since slipping away from Carlos, Angie and Jill in Detroit five years before, that she might still be able to live a life with some kind of meaning.

Fishing with Chris, telling stories to the kids, chopping wood with Luther, making bracelets with K-Mart, talking to Claire, lying beside her, wrapped up together in a warm bed, Alice was more content then she could remember being in her entire adult life. It sometimes felt wrong to her, that she should feel so happy when beyond their isolated haven civilization had come to an end, and the world and all her creatures were slowly dying. But, when she felt Claire's lips brush against hers, or heard K-Mart laugh, or saw the little ones hurling snowballs at each other with as much force as their bandy arms could manage, it banished such sombre thoughts from her mind.

There was still life on the planet, there was still hope, and if humanity was to have any chance of taking back the earth once the infected had finally starved and died a final death, then she, and all others whose hearts still beat, had believe that they had the right to live, and prosper and be happy.

Alice snuggled even closer to Claire until she was practically on top of the redhead, and Claire made a soft sound before shifting in Alice's arms so that they were facing each other.

"What's wrong?" she asked, reaching out to stroke Alice's cheek, much as she had that first night in the desert in the back of her hatchback.

Despite the initial aloofness Alice had exhibited when they first met, after the first night they had intimately touched each other, Alice had always been physically demonstrative in private and often in public as well – holding Claire's hand or wrapping her arms around her waist and placing her chin on her shoulder while they stood around talking. The level of contact Alice was presently seeking was strange for her, however. Claire had only seen her that way on a few occasions in the past, and always Alice had been in the grip of some powerful emotion that she couldn't find a way to articulate or suppress.

"Nothing," Alice breathed out, lifting her hand to cover Claire's keeping it pressed against her cheek just like she had their first night together. "I mean it," she continued, smiling a little when Claire's brows creased together and her keen green eyes began to search her face. "I just ..." Alice began, but she closed her eyes as a swell of emotion overcame her.

Claire remained quiet, simply using her thumb to stroke Alice's cheek soothingly, knowing that her lover would continue when she felt able.

"I love you so much," Alice choked out raggedly a few seconds later, her blue eyes shimmering with barely contained tears when she opened them again, "I felt nothing for so long, that ... it's ... sometimes I don't know how to ... these feelings, they just overwhelm me."

Even before the experiments performed on her, and her being forced off of the grid to avoid Umbrella satellites, she had never been in love. She had dated, and later she'd had lovers whom she was very passionate about, but she had never been in love with any of them. She had no context for her feelings for Claire. Her past had not prepared her for what she was presently experiencing, and having such intense emotions emerge for the first time after the loneliest, most isolated, and demoralizing period in her life, sometimes left her feeling as if she was coming completely undone.

Claire's hand shifted so that she was cradling Alice's jaw. Tears began to sting her eyes as she saw the naked emotion swirling in the cerulean depths of Alice's eyes, and she leaned forward, bringing their lips together, kissing Alice desperately as tears born of love escaped the corners of her eyes.

"I love you too," she whispered into the kiss which had turned salty with her tears. "Beyond words ... beyond anything I've ever felt before," she sighed before capturing Alice's lips again.

She had not been alone for years as Alice had, but her time with the convoy had left scars on her heart, just as Alice's time wandering the back-roads of America by herself had left its mark on her. She had lost so many people, to illness and injury and the infected. She had tried so hard to keep them safe, and protected and alive, but in the end she had only managed to save a handful of them. In the months before Alice had arrived, the steady stream of losses had caused her to retreat into herself, and with the exception of Carlos and K-Mart who would not allow her to block them out, Claire had shut down in many ways.

Falling for Alice after months of shutting out her feelings had terrified her, and if Alice's own issues hadn't made her so strangely vulnerable, Claire would have tried to pull away from her too. But she hadn't been able to fathom heaping more abuse on someone who had clearly suffered deeply, and the truth was that she had needed Alice. She had needed the closeness of her body, the taste of her mouth, and the hope Alice made blossom in her heart, just as much as Alice had needed her. On their first night alone together onboard the Arcadia, Alice had whispered to Claire, as they lay wrapped up together, that Claire had brought her back to life. She hadn't been able to articulate the thought before, but upon hearing Alice's words, Claire knew that Alice had done the same for her, twice over.

When Claire finally pulled back from Alice's lips they were both breathless, just as overcome with emotion, and just as unable to find words to express the feelings coursing through them as they had been before. However, as they saw their feelings reflected in each other's eyes, they were comforted, because they knew that there was no reason to struggle to find words to explain that which already existed in both of their hearts.

In concert, they flowed towards each other once more and their lips met in gentle kiss. As the kiss broke, Claire stroked Alice's cheek one last time with her fingers, and then she turned in Alice's arms and lay with her back to the brunette once more. Alice immediately closed the scant distance between them until she was pressed as securely as possible against Claire's back, and then she drew her arm around Claire's waist and closed her eyes.

Claire sighed contently as Alice's arm wrapped around her, and thus enfolded in her lovers' embrace she too closed her eyes and within minutes they both of them had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

The End


End file.
